Apple Siri speaker and 10.5-inch iPad Pro all but confirmed for WWDC

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference starts on 5 June and while the event is usually reserved for software updates, and we will hear news about iOS 11 and macOS 10.13, it can be used for hardware as well.

Apple is expected to launch a Siri-powered speaker to rival the Amazon Echo and Google Home, and we've already heard reports to say it will be unveiled at WWDC. Noted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, backs up these claims, saying there is more than a 50 per cent chance of the Siri speaker showing up at the conference.

Kuo's comments add a lot more weight to the rumours as he's been pretty much spot on on many predictions in the past. He adds that the speaker will be announced alongside software development details for home AI, and it will be boast premium audio quality and will have a higher price tag than the Amazon Echo. We're not too surprised by that second comment, this is Apple after all.

Kuo also expects the Siri speaker - no official name has been suggested yet - will have a touch panel. However it's not clear if this will just be a touch sensitive panel of buttons, or a proper touchscreen like the one found on the recently announced Amazon Echo Show.

Kuo also says there is more than a 70 per cent chance of Apple unveiling a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro at WWDC. He says the new iPad will have the same, or similar footprint as the 9.7-inch model, but will have a larger screen thanks to narrower bezels. Kuo reckons Apple will sell 6 million 10.5-inch iPad Pros before the end of 2017.